Pulse
by Astoria02
Summary: Elena is under house arrest and Damon watches her sleep. She wakes up from a nightmare and reveals how she feels about Damon. Please R&R. One-shot of Damon and Elena
1. Pulse

Pulse

There were no stars, no moon, no sound. But there was a beating. A beating of an immortal heart and a mortal one, tangled in the dark night. And they aren't meant to be together, they're like the ends of the universe, impossible.

But still, they are.

"Next time that you think of going on a suicide mission...don't," Damon said, raising his eyebrows and staring intently at Elena. She cocked her head to the side and sighed.

"You can't save me every time, Damon. I won't let anybody else get hurt. And that includes you," she said. Damon tried not to be surprised with her words. Elena moved towards the door and as fast as a blink of an eye, he was in front of her. "Move," she said in a tone he'd never heard before. He knew she was serious but well, so was he.

"You can't go out. You're under house arrest after that little stunt you put," Damon said. Elena glared at him.

"I have to see Stefan."

"Oh, Elena. You're so dramatic. You can live without him for a few days or months...maybe even years if we're lucky." Damon gave a sarcastic chuckle and Elena felt like putting all her force into her hand and driving it into Damon's nose. But she didn't. She couldn't.

She turned around and studied the vase that was on top of the counter. For a moment, she wondered how much it would hurt to smash it at him. She shook her head. What was this? What was this rage and passion that overtook her? This feelings that she only had for Damon were not...normal.

But this situation isn't ever normal. She moved the couch and dropped her body, suddenly realizing how extremely exhausted she was. Her eyes closed and she meant for them to close for a few seconds but soon she was drifting into sleep.

Damon twirled the glass of whiskey in his hand as he watched Elena sleep. He didn't know what it was about her that made him so conflicted. She looked like Katherine but she wasn't like her at all. It's as if the two were born specifically with polar personalities.

Except for the fact that both drove him irrationally crazy. But watching Elena sleep, he realized she drove him crazy in another way.

It was the way she talked and walked. The way her hair looked so soft. He wanted to touch her hair now, feel the softness between his fingers. What would it be like? he thought, to kiss her?

He loved her. He had told her that night in her room that he did. But she would never remember it. And he thought he had seen the love in her eyes when he'd said it. But he wasn't sure anymore...he could never be sure.

She woke with a gasp, her hair sticking to her forehead which was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. He couldn't even set the glass down before he moved beside her. The glass shattered. He didn't care. Elena's eyes were sad, frightened. Damon could see she was near hysteria.

"Sh," he whispers, cradling her close. He could feel her shaking, her body gone rigid and cold.

The house was dark, Jeremy was probably asleep in his room (Damon needed to thank him for bringing his liquor) and Elena was crying. For the first time, Damon didn't know what to do.

And she smelled like the wildest forest, fresh and flowery. All those smells drove Damon crazy. "What happened?" he asked, instead of succumbing to his urge.

She shook her head. "I-" She could barely spit out the words. He didn't know what she wanted to say but for a moment, he wanted to hear her words, hear her voice.

It would have been incredibly easy to take advantage of her. Just a tilt of the head, lean down a bit, and he could kiss her. He would have done so, too, if he didn't love her. But he did and he was willing to spend forever without her as long as she was happy.

"I have to tell you something," she said, her voice clearer although she sniffled. Damon pulled away and inspected her. Her eyes were bloodshot red and she look like she'd never be happy again. And it hurt him, more than anything else ever would.

"About your dream?" Damon asked, hating the way his voice showed how much he cared. A few months ago, all he wanted to do was rip this girl's heart out, cause his brother pain. He had felt nothing for no one. And now, feeling so much, he didn't know what was worse.

"Yes and no," Elena replied. She pulled away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I have to be honest and maybe-" she broke off as if to think hard about what she was about to say. She sighed and looked up into his eyes. Those deep sea-blue eyes that seemed to tell million stories. The eyes that teased and tortured her; wound her up and destroyed her. She loved those eyes.

"Go ahead, I'm all yours," Damon said, trying to add his usual sarcastic comment but his heart wasn't in it. He was scared. He was afraid at what she might say, what she might reveal. He was scared that she would shut him out again, close him off her life. He didn't want that.

Fuck, he wanted her.

"Well, this is probably the worst thing I could say, especially at this moment." He braced himself, braced himself for the sharp knife that would soon cut into his flesh. "But this dream..." she said it as a whisper, something he couldn't possibly hear if he was still mortal.

"What happened?" he asked again and then added, "In your dream?"

"I kissed you," she said. Her eyes didn't waver and he didn't break away either. All he could feel was his pusle beating through his veins, the demonic blood feeding his heart. He didn't say anything, he couldn't. What could he say to that? "But the worst part is," she said. "It felt...right."

He couldn't contain himself anymore. If he waited any longer, his urge to sink his fangs into her neck would explode and there would be no turning back. He needed her.

She moved closer, narrowing the spaces between them. "How did that feel?" he asked. It was barely a whisper, something said in an after thought but he meant it. He wanted to know.

"Like this," she said and closed the space between them. Pressing her lips to his.

The world disappeared. She was on him and he was on her. He grabbed her by the waist and pushed her down on the couch, careful to keep his strength in check. She moaned under his touched and struggled with the buttons of his shirt. He moved his hands from her waste, to the curve of her breast.

They kissed. Her mouth was invigorating, her tongue slipped into his mouth and he could taste strawberries and mint, and the smell that was so peculiarly hers.

Effortlessly, he slipped her shirt over her head and she was there, under him with her chest exposed except for the lacy bra she wore. She pressed her hands into his abdomen and he moaned. She moved his hands down to his hips and then back up again, feeling his sculpted body. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. This moment it was them together.

"I love you," he whispered. He knew that this time he wouldn't erase her memories. He couldn't.

"I love you, Damon Salvatore," she said before nibbling in his lower lip. "And I need you to save me."


	2. Push

**A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful comments for Pulse. I had originally intended it as a stand alone but I have been toying with the idea of doing a second-shot for the story so here it is. It's slightly shorter but don't worry, I plan on writing at least one more part. Please tell me what you think. The more the reviews, the more encouraged I am to keep on writing in this little project. THANKS AGAIN!**

* * *

Elena had forgotten. For those glorious moments with Damon, she had forgotten that she loved Stefan. And as the feelings flooded her heart again with bone-crunching force, she felt the guilt finally settle. Yes, she loved Stefan. But she also loved Damon, too.

And she'd said it. Maybe if she had kept it to herself, kept _everything_ to herself, it wouldn't have happened but now it was too late and as reality took its place and time again, she knew that she couldn't hide it anymore for too long.

She was at the Boarding House, expertly avoiding Damon by being everywhere out of his sight. She was surprised he didn't push her either, it was hard enough knowing what she'd done and she didn't need the constant physical reminder of it.

It's not like she regretted it. No, she decided, that wasn't it. It was more like the fact that now she was in the position she specifically didn't want to be in. There was no denying now what she felt for Damon and she was disgusted with herself for even allowing her to feel this things. How _could _she feel this things when she was so entirely convinced that she loved Stefan?

At the sound of the door opening, she gave a start. "Elena?" she heard Stefan call from the foyer. She had asked him to meet her here and he'd agreed. She was early and he had been hunting. Hopefully, she could get this over with as painless as possible.

But a part of Elena _didn't_ want to get this over with. She knew Stefan deserved the truth but she also knew that it would be difficult. They were broken up but that didn't mean that Stefan didn't stop loving her. In fact, she was entirely convinced that the act of allowing her space was the complete and utter demonstration of how he felt about her.

She took a deep breath, her thoughts nowhere near as untangled as they were before. But she had to face this. She didn't know how it would come out but she owed it to Stefan.

"Hey," she said, getting closer to him. She had her hands in her back pockets and her gaze didn't go near his eyes. She couldn't. She knew that looking at his beautiful dark eyes would land her into more confusion. No,she told herself, she needed to do this.

"Hey," Stefan said with a smile. He didn't come any closer, respecting her space. Elena saw his broad shoulders and his buff chest. She thought about the way his muscles felt under her touch and they way those arms held her. She closed her eyes. "Elena? What's wrong?" he asked her. Always worried about her, always caring. He took a precarious step closer to her.

She didn't know where to start. She felt the bile rise in her throat and she could see herself, breaking Stefan's heart and breaking hers, too. She wouldn't tell him she wanted to be with Damon. She didn't. But she was confused and the only thing she needed now was a new perspective, away from both Damon and Stefan.

And then she started crying. Her hand were shaking and she couldn't control the tears down her eyes. They burned as they fell and traced a wet track down her cheeks. They felt like acid, burning her to the core. What had she done? How could she have done this to _Stefan_?

She didn't see it coming when Stefan suddenly took her in his arms like how he used to. She didn't see it coming when he wrapped her so tight, she could feel his chest pressing against her heart. And it hurt her, it mocked her. She couldn't...she...

His lips were on her and they sent an electric shock through her body. He kissed her the way he kissed her that other night, with such a passion and urgency. And she kissed him back. Because she loved him, she needed him. How could she be so selfish? But those thoughts were clearly abolished from her mind because all she could think about was how she felt truly happy in that moment. Happy and complete. She hadn't felt this way with Damon, she thought. She had felt passion and love, but not this way. Not the same way Stefan loved her and she loved him.

"Brother?"

_No._

Stefan and Elena let each other go, his arms still wrapped around her. For one second, Elena didn't want to look. She didn't want to see the emotions in Damon's face. But it was impossible. She raised her eyes for a second-just a second-and she saw something that made her caught her breath.

Damon's eyes were empty. Void of any emotion and cold. Cold like the frozen waters of hoplessness, pushing away the humanity that she had seen in him.


	3. Fade

**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful support and reviews. I already have the last chapter in mind and I'm ready to write it. If I get 10 new reviews after posting this, I'll upload the new and final chapter of PULSE asap. Thanks :D I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Fade

Elena couldn't move. She felt frozen in her place and she couldn't even react. Stefan was the one to speak first and Elena secretly thanked him for that, she didn't think she would be able to form a coherent sentence.

"Damon," Stefan said.

As if he wasn't fazed by anything, Damon had no emotion in his voice or in his face. He almost spoke as if Elena wasn't in the room. "Alaric asked to meet us. He has some shiny new weapons to show us."

Stefan nodded and looked at Elena. "Elena, why don't you go to the car and I'll meet you there. There are some things I'd like to get before we go." Elena looked at Stefan, searching for any trace of knowledge in his gaze but all she could see was love and kindness. She felt awful about what she did. But how could she help it? She loved Damon but he also loved Stefan. She wouldn't hurt him. She couldn't hurt him.

"Okay," she said and then, tempted by those cold eyes, she looked at Damon. For a second, she saw the flash of pain and hurt but that was gone as soon as it had appeared.

When Elena went outside, Stefan turned to Damon and crossed his arm. "What happened?" Stefan asked.

"Alaric wants us to-"

"No, Damon. I mean, what happened between the two of you? You looked at her as if she was..." Stefan trailed off, knowing that Damon would correctly finish his thoughts.

"As if she was Katherine?" Damon said. His jaw tightened and he felt like hurling his brother out of the room, break his little saintly bones. He forrowed his brows. "Because she's just like her," Damon said and turned around to go to his room.

Stefan shook his head. "She's nothing like Katherine, Damon. And you know that."

Damon stopped in his tracks and turned around. He took a vase from a table nearby and threw it across the room. It crashed against a wall and the rain of glass was now spread across the floor.

"But that's where you're wrong," Damon said, his voice rising to a dangerously high volume. "She's exactly like Katherine. Only worse, because she can hide it better." Damon didn't need to say anything else, he vented his anger and said what he meant to say. He turned around and disappeared from to room with vampire speed.

Stefan was left alone in the big living room. He looked at where the glass lay on the floor and picked it up, cutting his hands in the process but he didn't even wince. The wounds were healed in a second.

Then he remembered, Elena was outside and Damon had just walked out of the door. Without a second thought, he raced to the car.

And just like he feared, Elena wasn't in it anymore. He called her one, two times but she didn't answer.

"Damon!" he called but as he expected, he wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Damon, let go of me!" Elena yelled, fighting desperately against Damon's tight hold. He gripped her shoulders so hard she knew they would bruise. But after a few more minutes of struggling, she started crying in frustration. Damon loosened his grip and she fell to the floor. Where were they? All she could make of her surroundings was that she was in some sort of woods. She knew it wasn't Mystic Falls' because it was darker here, denser.

Damon was pacing back and forth in front of her, cursing under his breath. When she was able to calm herself enough to talk again she asked him, "Why did you do this?"

He stopped and turned to her. "Because, Elena. You wouldn't listen to me otherwise," he said. She looked at him and shaked her head.

"No, Damon. I would have listened to you. You don't need to do this." She stood up and took a step closer to him. One more inch and they would be able to touch. She would be able to kiss his lips, the lips she'd become addicted to. She looked away from them and into his eyes. She could see he was conflicted, but so was she. She loved to beautiful and kind men. How could she choose? Why did she get into this situation in the first place? But it was too late. It was too late to go back and undo it all. Even if she could, she didn't know if she would be capable of doing it at all.

"But you kissed him. After you kissed me," he said in such a painful tone, she felt her heart break a bit more.

"What was I supposed to do, Damon?"

"You two are not together anymore!" His voice vibrated through the woods. How could he had let it come this far? He had never spoken like this in his existance. He had never cared like this.

"Damon, I love him! I can't just forget that. Nor can I forget the fact that every time I see you, it feels like I'm lying. Because I love you, too." She didn't want to hide the way her voice broke when she said those words. She wanted those words to embed themselves into every tree trunk of these woods. She took a deep breath and then said, with the biggest courage she could muster, "Take me home, Damon."

He looked at her and nodded. Damon picked her up, swinging her into his arms the same way he had done when she'd been in that car accident. She wrapped her arms around his neck and took a deep breath. She would figure it all out, she knew that in the end, she would make the choice that was right.

Stefan knew something had happened between Damon and Elena but he wasn't sure what it had been. He wasn't unaware that Damon and Elena's relationship had developed into something palpable. He could see the way Damon would look at Elena and the care she had for him. He suspected that what had happened had something to do with their relationship.

"You're here alone?" Caroline said, entering the room.

He looked up and gave her a faint smile. "Yes, for a while," he said.

"Where's Elena?"

"Out. Probably with Damon." Stefan didn't mean for his voice to sound angry but Caroline caught it and she looked at him curiously, with a bit of worry pronounced in her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting beside him on the couch and helping herself with a bit of Scotch from Damon's collection. She swirled the drink for a second, watching it hit the glass and then took a sip. Alcohol used to afect her really fast but now, she could drink and drink and nothing would happen to her. She drank it all and served herself some more.

Stefan looked at her for a second, thinking exactly when it had come to this. First it was the desire to kill her because she was danger: another vampire. But Elena had protected her, she was her friend. And he had felt the need to protect her, too. He wasn't sure if he could call Caroline her friend. Caroline was a bit annoying at times and maybe too forward but he knew she was a good friend to Elena. And she'd help him if he needed it. He took a deep breath and said, "Don't you notice?"

Caroline averted her eyes for a second but she couldn't pretend she didn't know what he was talking about. Of course she'd noticed the way Damon looked at Elena. Not with desire exactly, but with an affection she'd never seen him have for anyone else. She knew that Damon loved Elena and she also knew that although Elena wouldn't admit it in a billion years, she too felt something for him far more deep and complex than friendship.

"About what?" she said, knowing she'd paused for too long but willing to give it a try. Stefan didn't need to know about that yet. She knew that Elena had broken up with him because she was confused and scared.

"Caroline, I think you know what I'm talking about," he said and then raised his eyebrows. For a second, Caroline ad a flashback of Damon doing the same thing. And although the brothers aren't really much alike, she knew that their similarities were far more than their differences. Well, for one, their love for Elena.

"Oh," she said simply. "Well, I think you should...you know...do something." Great, what kind of friend said things like that? That was no help at all. She tried again. "I mean, maybe they're discussing some plan to surprise you or er...yeah."

Stefan couldn't help but chuckle. Caroline was fascinating, wearing her heart on her sleeve and being so simple about things like this. He shook his head. "What should I do?" he asked. He'd rarely asked for advice before. He knew it had more to do with his pride than with his capabilities. Stefan wasn't one to depend on many people but he knew that there was a limit: if he was really confused about something, it meant that maybe he couldn't solve the dilema by himself.

But Caroline recognized that look in his face and became serious. "You should accept whatever she decides, and with honesty and sincerety, don't you think she's been through a lot? Making her choose between two people she loves isn't really the best place to put her in right now."

Stefan recognized this was true and he knew that Elena was much more independent and wise than Katherine. Where Katherine had been driven by pleasure and passion, Elena was desisive and cautious. He nodded. "I will," he said with such a finality, he thought he was choosing suicide. And it sort of felt like that, too.


	4. Crash

**Here it is! The last chapter of Pulse. I'd like to thank all of you who have so kindly followed this little story of mine and I hope you love this last chapter. Thank you so much!**

* * *

Crash

Damon drove through the twilight with Elena sleeping at his side. She had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes ago. He knew she was exhausted and even though he was bored in this long car ride, he didn't even think about waking her up. Instead, he kept his mind busy by thinking about her and what he would do so that they could be together. He knew Elena loved him, she had said as much. But he also knew that she loved Stefan and she couldn't just part with him and live happily ever after; whatever Elena ended up deciding, it would hurt her and the Salvatores alike.

Maybe it'd be better if she doesn't choose anyone, he thought. But he discarded the thought as fast as it had come. He sometimes wished he could erase his own memories. Damon had a few of those he'd be glad to get rid of. Namely those involving two beautiful young women who had broken his heart.

But this is no place to be heartbroken, only those who are able to fight are the winners. Damon didn't want to fight. He was tired of fighting and then having his efforts be futile. Stefan was Mr. Right for everyone. Who would fall in love with sarcastic, cynical, and violent Damon?

Elena stirred beside him and he caught his breath, hoping that she would wake up so that they could talk some more. They needed to talk. What had happened between them was not nothing. He needed her and she needed him. They understood each other and they cared for each other. Heck, the loved each other. But the cosmos seemed to be playiing an awful joke on Damon. What were the chances that he would fall in love with his brother's paramour all over again?

He glanced at Elena, her chocolate brown hair spread over the back of the seat, her long lashes brushing her cheeks and the soft _thump_ of her beating heart made him appreciate the beautiful simplicity that she was. She was not grandiose like Katherine. She wore simple shirts and jeans and Converse. She did not need the flashiness the Katherine had fed on in her time. Elena was beautiful the way she was, a different but more sincere kind of beautiful than Katherine had ever been.

Stefan didn't know how it had happened. One moment, He and Caroline were talking about Elena and the next moment she had leaned in and kissed his lips. It was an innocent type of kiss, the type of kiss you might have given a friend in need of comfort. But he knew it meant more to Caroline than it should.

"Caroline, I-"

She gasped and stood up fast. "I'm sorry, Stefan. I shouldn't have done that. I-uh-have to go. Sorry again." Caroline went to the front door and looked back.

"It's okay, Caroline, please stay," he said, surprised by the sound of his voice. In a way, he needed Caroline. He needed her free spirit to lessen the pain that was burried in his chest.

She looked at the door and then she sighed, sitting down beside Stefan. "All right," she said. "But you're going to stop being all brooding and depressed and we're going to have fun." Caroline stood up and walked towards Damon's liquor cabinet. She took out two bottles and showed them to Stefan. "What do you think, tequila or vodka?" she asked him. Stefan shook his head but he was smiling. There was something about Caroline that made him think that maybe vampires weren't so doomed after all.

"You choose," Stefan said.

She shrugged. "I can't, so let's do both." Caroline took out a pair of shot glasses and then poured in vodka. "On the count of three-" Stefan didn't even wait until she finished saying the sentence. He tipped back his head and gulped the vodka shot right down. He winced a bit but otherwise, he seemed unaffected.

She was impressed. She could only do that when she was already drunk on everything else. Maybe it had something to do with the vampire thing. Caroline took and gulped down her own shot and poured some more into each glass. "Will Damon think we're intruding into his domain?" she asked.

"Probably," Stefan murmured. "But let's not care right now, he's not even here." And as the nights progressed, everything started to look blurry to Caroline. The bottle of vodka was empty and there was only enough tequila for one more shot, each.

"Last one," she slurred, tipping the bottle vertically so that every last drop would fall into the shot glass. Stefan was standing up and swaying to no music at all. He didn't even remember what he was mad about anymore.

Caroline stood up beside him and held up her shot glass. "Cheers," she said, and clinked her glass to Stefan. Both vampires, intoxicated with alcohol, took one last shot.

"We need some music," Caroline finally realized. "There's no party without music," she whined. Stefan, whose age had made him more tolerant to alcohol, took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles.

"There's no need for music," he said. He was so close to her that if she wanted to, she could lean in and kiss him. But something was nagging at the back of his mind and he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew he was mad about _something_.

"It's so late," Caroline commented.

Stefan looked at the grandfather clock that stood in the corner. "Why don't I take you home?"

"Home?" Caroline asked with raised eyebrows. "I don't think my house is my home." She swayed on her feet. "Why don't I sleep somewhere here?"

Stefan didn't answer right away. He knew how hard it was for Caroline and her mother to get along now that Caroline was a vampire. Having this in mind, Stefan answered, "You can sleep in my room."

"Great!" Stefan walked Caroline up to his room. She prompty took off her blouse and jeans, a lacy bra and panty set to cover her. Stefan tried not to notice how her snow-white skin looked in the dimmed light of his room. She snuck herself into the bed, covering herself with the comforter up to her chin.

Caroline sighed and closed her eyes. Before Stefan could say anything else, she had fallen asleep.

Watching her sleep, Stefan wasn't sure what to think. He kept thinking about Elena and how they were now broken up. Did that really change his feelings about Elena? Stefan pondered this question for a few moments and came to a final realization: No, he still loved Elena more than he could ever express and Caroline was just a friend, a good friend, but she wasn't the person Stefan could see himself loving. That place was already taken by Elena.

Damon picked Elena up from the passenger seat. She did not even stir, she was so tired that he was sure that she'd be out of it for a while. Good, Damon thought, she needed her sleep.

Without making any noise, Damon entered the Gilbert house and went upstairs to Elena's room. He remembered how he hated this room the first time he had come in. It was simple and said nothing about Elena's personality. It was catalog-magazine standard with white sheets, white walls, one or two pictures in the night stand and nothing else. Always neat and organized.

He lay Elena down on the bed. Gently, he took off her shoes and set them on the floor beside the bed. He took a comforter that was folded at the edge of the bed and spread it on top of her. He looked at her for a minute, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically. He brushed a lock of hair aside, the same way he had done all those months ago. God, how long ago was that? He couldn't even keep track.

Damon turned to go but then he heard a faint whisper, almost inaudible to human ears. He paused for a second and then heard it again. "Don't go," Elena said. Damon turned to face her. Her eyes were still closed and for a second, he thought that he'd heard her talk in her sleep. But just a second later, her eyes fluttered open and she had a dazed look about her face.

Damon took a few steps closer to the bed, standing in her line of vision. He furrowed his brow. "What did you say?" he asked her.

She stretched herself and then said clearly, "I said, 'Don't go,' please?"

"Elena-" he started. He wanted to say how he couldn't stay because it hurt him. It hurt him to know that she couldn't be completely his and that she might not love him the same way he loved her."

"I'll tell him," she said, sitting up. She didn' t look directly at Damon.

"What?" he asked her. He thought he knew what she was talking about but he wanted to make sure he heard right (obviously, this couldn't be it, either, since he had perfect hearing).

"Damon," she said, looking in his eyes. He felt it then, truly and unquestionable. He saw for the first time how Elena's soul seemed to call for him with her eyes and he saw the fire and passion she had for him. But no, he thought, not just passion but also love. Damon had never seen that before in someone's eyes, at least where it did not concern him.

He had almost forgotten what she was talking about until she started again. "I'm going to tell Stefan about us. About how I feel about you and how I can't be with him. Because even though I love him, I wouldn't-" she paused, thinking carefully of the words she would say. "-If I would have been completely in love with Stefan I wouldn't have fallen in love with you."

And those words, she thought, where the only sure thing she knew.

Damon lingered closed to her for a moment. He studied her face and then he leaned in, kissing her lips in the softest way he could manage. He could taste the smile in her lips. Elena's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He slid off her blouse effortlessly, tossing it to the floor beside the bed. He then took off his. For a second, their lips were apart and their love for each other called to them. Damon loved the way her chest felt against his. It felt natural, like they belonged together.

When he made love to her, Damon savored every moment and he kept reminding himself that soon, Elena would be only his and that they wouldn't have to hide from Stefan or from each other anymore. All he could think about in those moments where how perfect everythig seemed, how their worlds had finally crashed together into full blown fire that consumed them both.

The next morning, Elena woke up with Damon's arms around her. She smiled to herself, her body tingling all over. He felt good-no, he felt perfect. For the first time, she realized that what she felt for Damon completed her in a way that Stefan never had.

"Good morning," she whispered. Damon's eyes opened and looked at her. Their connection didn't need any words, they understood each others in levels she had thought unimaginable.

"What should we do, Elena?" he asked. She could detect in his voice that he wasn't a hundred percent happy that they would be talking to Stefan. It was his brother, after all. But Damon pushed those thoughts away, thinking that it really didn't matter. It would be selfish of Stefan to think that he could get away with it knowing that Elena loved Damon.

"I think you should stay away from the boarding house while I talk to Stefan personally. I think that he needs to hear about it from me first. I need to let him know that-that it's nothing against him." Elena stood up and started dressing herself with the first blouse she found in her closet. She put on her regular jeans and Converse sneakers.

Damon sat up in the bed and nodded. "You might be right," he said. He put on the same shirt he had last night. "I'll go have a meal while you deal with my brother." Damon said it with his usual sarcastic edge but he knew that this was a bit more serious. In fact, it was a bit more serious than he wanted.

Elena sighed. "I'll see you later then." Damon went to her and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you, Elena," he said, looking directly into her eyes.

"I love you, Damon," she said.

When Elena arrived at the boarding house, Caroline was preparing herself a glass of blood. "Oh, Elena!" she said as soon as Elena walked in. Elena wasn't taken aback at seeing Caroline, having become accostumed to having her around the boarding house almost all the time.

"Hey, Caroline," Elena said. "Where's Stefan?" she asked.

Caroline looked over her shoulder and then pointed in the direction of the greenhouse. "He's in the greenhouse. You know, I didn't know that your boyfriend had such a green thumb." She shrugs and gives Elena a smile before sitting down in the couch and turning on the television. Elena climbs up the stairs, feeling like with each step, the floor is going to crack open and she'll fall through.

Before entering the door, she took a deep breath.

Stefan could hear her breathe and touch the door. When she pushed it open, the smell of her humanity filled his nostrils. He had never tasted such a wonderful smell in his tongue. It made him want to keep her wrapped in his arms forever.

He turned to face her and when he saw her face he was taken aback. He had never seen Elena like this before. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Elena didn't say anything at first. Instead, she shook her head. Stefan walked a step closer to her but she held out her hand. "Stay there," she said. "I need to tell you something." Stefan stopped in his tracks. He could feel it coming, like an unmanned train. Elena took a deep breath and started, "Stefan, I love you. Please don't forget that. But I'm in love with Damon. I don't know if you want to know why and I know that any explanation won't make it better but just-I need you to do one last thing."

He didn't respond immediately. He was proscessing what she said and he had to admit that he wasn't surprised. Stefan knew that Damon and Elena's relationship had developed into something he couldn't understand and he'd accepted it. He didn't want history repeating itself. He didn't want to lose both Elena and Damon again so he had decided to let it take its course, secretly hoping that their friendship wouldn't turn into something more.

"Can you do this for me?" Elena pleaded, her voice broke. She swallowed back tears and looked away.

Stefan nodded. "Anything," he said.

Damon watched her from a distance, admiring her sweet innocence. She was laughing with friends, as if nothing had ever happened.

In her mind, nothing had ever happened.

He felt the ache in his chest and he knew that it echoed his brother's. He kept telling himself that it had been her decision. She had decided that she wanted to forget everything: him, Stefan, vampires and this world.

If he were to go to her right now, he'd be a complete stranger. He could go over there, shake her hand, and woo her again. But he knew he wouldn't because his last memory of _his_ Elena, was her eyes, dazed and confused, as a deep hole was carved into her memories.

It had been him, he had done it because Stefan hadn't been strong enough. And he hated himself for it.

"We need to go," Stefan told his brother. Stefan couldn't dare to look at Elena, looking at her would break him to pieces and they needed to go.

Damon took a last look at Elena, knowing that he would never see her again, knowing that in leaving her, he was leaving his heart. A tear ran down his cheek as he realized that he would never again love anyone like he loved her.

* * *

**Did you like it? I know that I'm going to have people who won't really like it that much but as much of a Damon/Elena shipper that I am, I really can't see these two having a happy ending. They're an impossible couple so I couldn't just pair up Stefan and let it all go well. I hope you're not mad at me and hopefully you will at least appreciate or like my interpretation of this couple.**


End file.
